[Nfbf-l] The Presidents Disability Budget Fact Sheet

Wed Feb 16 14:43:12 UTC 2011

This sounds good, but where does the NFB stand on this? RJ
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Subject: [Nfbf-l] The Presidents Disability Budget Fact Sheet


>
> THE FEDERAL BUDGET
> FISCAL YEAR 2012
> Winning  the Future for People with Disabilities
> Having  emerged from the worst recession in generations, the President has
> put forward a  plan to rebuild our economy and win the future by
> out-innovating, out-educating,  and out-building our global competitors 
> and creating
> the jobs and industries of  tomorrow. But we cannot rebuild our economy 
> and
> win the future if we pass on a  mountain of debt to our children and
> grandchildren. We must restore fiscal  responsibility, and reform our 
> government to
> make it more effective, efficient,  and open to the American people. The
> President’s 2012 Budget is a responsible  approach that puts the nation on 
> a
> path to live within our means so we can  invest in our future – by cutting
> wasteful spending and making tough choices on  some things we cannot 
> afford,
> while keeping the investments we need to grow the  economy and create 
> jobs. It
> targets scarce federal resources to the areas  critical to winning the
> future: education, innovation, clean energy, and  infrastructure. And it 
> proposes
> to reform how Washington does business, putting more federal  funding up
> for competition, cutting waste, and reorganizing government so that  it 
> better
> serves the American people.
> To  win the future for people with disabilities, the Budget will:
> Increase  Funding for the Education of Children with Disabilities. The
> Budget provides a $200 million increase for the Individuals with 
> Disabilities
> Education Act (IDEA) State Grants to provide a high quality education and
> help  offset State and local education costs for children with 
> disabilities.
> The  Budget also provides a $50 million (11 percent) increase for the IDEA
> Infants  and Families Program to provide the youngest children a good 
> start.
> In addition,  a new $30 million joint pilot, Promoting Readiness of Minors 
> in
> SSI (PROMISE),  will develop and evaluate innovative approaches to
> improving outcomes of  children receiving Supplemental Security Income and 
> their
> families.
> Encourage  Workforce Innovation. The  Budget provides almost $380 million
> to the Departments of Education and Labor,  for a Workforce Innovation 
> Fund
> to support reforms of the workforce system,  including projects that 
> improve
> education and employment outcomes for  individuals with disabilities. The
> Vocational Rehabilitation program will  contribute $30 million, and use 
> its
> expertise to help ensure that the Fund  invests in innovative programs and
> evidence-based practices to provide  high-quality employment services to
> individuals with disabilities, including  those with significant 
> disabilities.
> Support  Workers with Disabilities. The  Budget provides $24 million to 
> the
> Department of Labor for the Disability  Employment Initiative, which 
> awards
> grants to build the capacity of One-Stop  Career Centers to serve
> individuals with disabilities. The Budget also proposes  a new Disability 
> Insurance
> Work Incentives Simplification Pilot to make the  Social Security work 
> rules
> more straightforward and allow beneficiaries more  flexibility to try to
> work without fear of losing their benefits.
> Reduce  Social Security Claims Backlog. Disability  programs are at the
> forefront of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s)  operations. The
> Budget funds SSA to lower the initial claims backlog to 650,000  by 
> processing
> over three million claims. By hearing approximately 822,500 cases  in 
> 2012,
> the wait time for a decision will fall below a year for the first time  in 
> a
> decade. In addition, the Administration will establish a Disability
> Research Center through SSA’s research office. This  Center will work 
> across
> agencies and in collaboration with outside researchers  to improve the 
> quality of
> disability research.
> Expand  Disability Research. The  Budget provides $120 million for the
> National Institute on Disability and  Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), 
> including
> $10 million to support a new cloud  computing initiative that uses the
> internet infrastructure to improve technology  access through the 
> development,
> implementation, and delivery of mechanisms that  will provide on-demand
> accessibility for everyone who faces technology  accessibility barriers. 
> NIDRR
> conducts comprehensive and coordinated programs of  research and related
> activities to maximize the full inclusion, social  integration, 
> employment, and
> independent living of individuals with disabilities  of all ages.
> Strengthen  Independent Living. The  Budget includes more than $103 
> million
> for Grants for Independent Living program  that would provide formula
> grants to States to support the provision of  independent living services 
> through
> centers for independent living. The Budget  also provides an additional 
> $34
> million for independent living services for  older individuals who are
> blind. In addition, the President’s six-year, $556  billion surface
> transportation reauthorization proposal supports investments to  provide 
> individuals,
> including the elderly and the disabled, with access to more 
> transportation
> options, making our communities more livable. That proposal will  include 
> an
> unprecedented funding commitment for transit programs.
> Assist  Programs for Youth with Disabilities. The  2012 Budget maintains
> funding for the Special Olympics at $8 million through the  Department of
> Education. The Budget also provides $5 million for a new program: 
> Mentoring for
> Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Both programs would  support
> activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual
> disabilities in social relationships and other aspects of community life, 
> including
> recreation, education, and employment.
> Strengthen  Anti-Discrimination Enforcement. Even  in tough budget times,
> the substantial investments that have been made by  the Administration to
> strengthen civil rights enforcement against racial,  ethnic, sexual
> orientation, disability, religious, and gender discrimination  continue in 
> the 2012
> Budget. The Budget proposes an increase for the Community  Relations 
> Service in
> the Department of Justice to fight hate crimes and provides  an $18
> million, a 5 percent increase over the 2010 enacted level, for the Equal
> Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is responsible for 
> enforcing  Federal
> laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an
> employee. This investment will allow EEOC to add additional staff to 
> reduce
> the  agency’s backlog of private-sector discrimination charges.
> Provide  Housing for Persons with Disabilities. Because  difficult choices
> had to be made in order to invest in programs that would yield  the 
> highest
> returns, the Budget provides a total of $196 million for the Housing  for
> Persons with Disabilities Program, which is a $104 million cut relative to
> the 2010 enacted level. The majority of the overall reduction reflects a 
> shift
> in funding to the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance account to support
> Mainstream  Vouchers for persons with disabilities. The Budget includes 
> $85
> million to  support existing units and $111 million for new construction 
> and
> expansion  activities. The Administration is committed to working with 
> Congress
> to update  and reform these programs so that project sponsors can maximize
> use of the  funding for new construction by effectively leveraging and
> targeting investments  based on need and by providing residents access to 
> key
> services required to live  independently.
> Expand  Research into Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The  Budget
> continues to expand research, detection, treatment, and other activities 
> related to
> improving the lives of individuals and families affected by ASD  through
> increasing funding for programs at the National Institutes of Health 
> (NIH),
> the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources 
> and
> Services Administration. NIH will pursue comprehensive and innovative
> approaches to defining the genetic and environmental factors that 
> contribute to
> ASD, investigate epigenomic changes in the brain, and accelerate clinical
> trials  of novel pharmacological and behavioral interventions by 2016. NIH
> will continue  to investigate environmental factors, early detection, and
> novel treatments to  transform our understanding of ASD.
> Help  Families Care for Aging and Relatives with Disabilities.  The Budget
> includes $96 million for the Administration's Caregiver Initiative,  an
> effort to expand help to families and seniors so that caregivers can 
> better
> manage their multiple responsibilities and seniors can live in the 
> community
> for  as long as possible. Without creating new programs, this initiative
> provides new  resources to support the network of agencies in local 
> communities
> across the  country that already provide critical help to seniors and
> caregivers.
> Support  for Employment of People with Disabilities in the Federal
> Workforce. In  July 2010, the President signed an Executive Order to 
> increase
> Federal  employment of individuals with disabilities and the Budget 
> provides funds
> to the  Office of Personnel Management to implement that Executive Order.
> Expand  Passenger Rail Options. The  President’s surface transportation
> reauthorization proposal includes funding to  eliminate the longstanding 
> ADA
> gap at intercity passenger rail stations.  Overall, the Administration’s
> reauthorization provides $53 billion over six  years for intercity 
> passenger
> rail, putting the country on track toward a system  that gives 80 percent 
> of
> Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years –  and would provide 
> many
> citizens with disabilities access to an additional,  convenient
> transportation option.
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